The Democratic lawmaker and fierce Trump critic has said she will not seek reelection after her term ends in January 2027

Former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has announced that she will not seek reelection after her term in Congress ends on January 3, 2027. The 85-year-old veteran Democrat has long been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump.

In a video address to her constituents in San Francisco published on Thursday, Pelosi said that "I will not be seeking reelection to Congress."

"With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative," she added.

Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987 and is currently serving her 19th term. In 2007 she became the first-ever female House speaker, assuming the post again in 2019.

After stepping down as speaker in 2023, she retained her seat among rank-and-file representatives, holding no committee positions.

In recent years, Pelosi has emerged as one of Trump's fiercest detractors. In her second term as speaker, she presided over two impeachments, neither of which succeeded in deposing the Republican firebrand.

In a recent interview with CNN, she described the president as a "vile creature."

In February 2020, Pelosi infamously tore up Trump's State of the Union speech shortly after he delivered the address.

Pelosi has long maintained a close relationship with former President Joe Biden. Speaking to CBS last August, shortly after Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race, she suggested that he was a "Mount Rushmore kind of president." When pressed whether she was being serious, Pelosi confirmed that "you can add Biden" to the iconic monument.

During her second term as House speaker, Pelosi triggered a diplomatic crisis between the US and China when she visited Taiwan in August 2022. She became the highest-ranking American official since 1997 to visit the island, which Beijing considers part of China.

China responded with massive military exercises and live-fire drills around Taiwan, and slapped sanctions on Pelosi and her family.

(RT.com)